What to Expect in Your First 90 Days of Working
with an AI Agency
your first 90 days, from discovery to live deployment.
You've done the research. You've identified a real business problem. You've decided to work with
an AI agency. Now what?
For most business leaders, hiring an AI agency is unfamiliar territory. You might have experience
working with marketing agencies, IT consultants, or design firms — but AI agencies are different.
The deliverable isn't a website or a strategy document. It's a working system that changes how
your team operates daily.
Understanding what to expect over the first 90 days will help you be a better client, set realistic
expectations, and ultimately get better results from the engagement.
Here's a realistic, week-by-week breakdown of what happens when you partner with a good AI
agency.
Weeks 1–2: Discovery and Scoping
The first two weeks are all about understanding. A competent AI agency will spend more time
listening than talking during this phase.
What happens: — Deep-dive sessions with your team to understand current workflows, pain
points, and goals — Access to your existing systems (CRM, document storage, email, project
management) to assess data quality and integration points — Documentation of the target
process: who does what, how long it takes, where errors happen, what the ideal outcome looks like
- Technical assessment: what systems need to connect, what data is available, what APIs exist
What you should expect from a good agency: — They ask more questions about your business
than about technology — They challenge your assumptions — if you've asked for a chatbot but the
real problem is document processing, they'll tell you — They give you a clear project scope
document by the end of Week 2 with specific deliverables, timelines, and costs
Your role: — Make your team available for interviews and walkthroughs — Provide access to
relevant systems and sample data — Be honest about pain points (agencies can only solve
problems they know about)
A common mistake at this stage is trying to speed through discovery. Companies eager to "get
building" often push agencies to skip this phase. Resist that urge. Discovery done well saves
weeks of rework later. At LF Labs, we consider discovery the most important phase of any project
- it's where 80% of project success is determined.
Weeks 3–4: Design and Architecture
With discovery complete, the agency designs the solution. This isn't about picking tools — it's
about designing the workflow, data flow, and user experience.
What happens: — Solution architecture: which AI models, which integrations, how data flows
between systems — User experience design: how your team will interact with the AI system daily
- Data pipeline design: how information gets into and out of the system — Risk assessment: what
could go wrong and how it's mitigated — Presentation of the proposed solution to your team for
feedback
What you should see: — A visual diagram of how the system works (not just technical jargon) —
Clear explanation of what the AI will handle versus what humans still do — A phased delivery plan:
what's built first, what comes later — Honest discussion of limitations and edge cases
Weeks 5–8: Build and Development
This is where the agency's technical team builds the solution. You'll typically have weekly check-ins
and access to a staging environment where you can see progress.
What happens: — Core system development (AI models, integrations, data pipelines) — Training
the AI on your data (if applicable — e.g., for RAG systems or document processing) — Building the
user interface (dashboards, chat interfaces, or integrations into existing tools) — Internal testing by
the agency team
What you should expect: — Weekly progress updates with demonstrations of working
functionality — Access to a testing environment from Week 6 onwards — Requests for additional
data or clarification as edge cases emerge — Some iteration — the first version won't be perfect,
and that's normal
Your role: — Test the staging version and provide feedback — Identify real-world edge cases from
your experience — Start preparing your team for the transition (announce what's coming, explain
why)
Weeks 9–10: Testing and Refinement
Before going live, the system undergoes rigorous testing — both technical and practical.
What happens: — User acceptance testing (UAT): your team uses the system with real tasks —
Performance testing: ensuring the system handles your actual data volumes — Edge case testing:
deliberately trying to break things to find weaknesses — Refinement based on feedback: adjusting
prompts, workflows, and interfaces
What you should expect: — The system handles 80–90% of scenarios well but struggles with
some edge cases — 2–3 rounds of refinement based on your team's feedback — Clear
documentation of what the system does and doesn't handle — Training materials (user guides,
video walkthroughs) being prepared
This phase is crucial. According to a 2025 Gartner study, AI systems that underwent at least two
weeks of user testing before deployment had 67% higher long-term adoption rates than those
deployed immediately after development.
Weeks 11–12: Deployment and Training
The system goes live — but not as a big bang. Good agencies deploy gradually.
What happens: — Phased rollout: start with a small group of users or a subset of the workflow —
Hands-on training sessions with your team (not just documentation, but live practice) — Parallel
running: the old process and the new system run simultaneously for 1–2 weeks — Real-time
monitoring by the agency to catch and fix issues quickly
What you should expect: — A 20–30% dip in team productivity during the first week as people
learn the new system — A few "it doesn't handle this" discoveries that require quick fixes — Your
most tech-savvy team members adopting quickly; others needing more support — Daily check-ins
with the agency during the first week of deployment
Weeks 12–13: Handover and Optimisation
The agency hands over ownership of the system to your team.
What you receive: — Complete documentation: system architecture, user guides, troubleshooting
guides — Admin access and credentials for all components — Training for your internal team (or
designated AI champion) on maintenance — A defined support period (typically 30–60 days of
included support post-launch) — Performance benchmarks: baseline metrics versus current
performance
By the end of 90 days, you should have: — A fully operational AI system running in production
- A trained team using it daily — Measurable improvements in the target metrics (time saved,
errors reduced, revenue gained) — Clear documentation and the capability to maintain and evolve
the system
What Separates Great AI Agencies from Mediocre Ones
During your 90-day journey, pay attention to these differentiators:
Great agencies: — Spend 20% of the project time on discovery and design — Deliver working
functionality every week, not just status updates — Train your team as if they'll never see the
agency again (because capability transfer is the goal) — Provide fixed-price engagements with
clear deliverables — Are honest about limitations and what the AI can't do
Mediocre agencies: — Rush through discovery in a single meeting — Disappear for weeks during
development with no visible progress — Deploy the system and leave your team to figure it out —
Bill hourly with vague scope definitions — Oversell capabilities and under-deliver on results
Setting Yourself Up for Success
To get the most out of your first 90 days with an AI agency:
- Assign an internal champion. One person on your team who owns the relationship,
coordinates access, and drives adoption internally. 2. Clear the calendar. Your team needs time
for testing, feedback, and training. Don't schedule this during your busiest season. 3.
Communicate the "why." Tell your team why you're investing in AI and how it'll make their work
better. Silence breeds resistance. 4. Be patient with Week 1 of deployment. Productivity will dip
before it climbs. That's normal. 5. Measure from Day 1. Establish baseline metrics before the
project starts so you can prove the value objectively.
Ready to Start Your 90-Day Journey?
Book a free AI strategy call with LF Labs. We'll walk you through exactly what your first 90 days
would look like — specific to your business, your team, and your goals.